S. Canty loses rugby clash

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 25

S. Canty loses rugby clash

A third-quarter scoring spree gave Otago a 31-15 win against South Canterbury at Timaru. The southerners led only 7-6 at half-time but pulled out all the stops to cross the line for three converted tries early in the second spell. Without three leading players, Mike Brewer, Dean Kenny and Greg Cooper, Otago lacked cohesion in the first spell but finally put it together after the break to score twice in six minutes.

At Whangarei, North Auckland was able to master atrocious conditions better than Waikato to win, 116.

The match was virtually in the balance until minutes before full-time when the “player of the day,” Neil

Ruddell, charged over for the clincher for North Auckland.

North Auckland led, 4-0, at half-time but let Waikato back in the game early in the second spell when the Waikato full-back, Paul Hodder, landed two penalty goals. In Gisborne, Poverty Bay suffered one of its biggest losses when it was thumped, 64-0, by Bay of Plenty. Bay of Plenty had far too much power and pace for Poverty Bay and ran riot in the second half. Bay of Plenty scored 11 tries, eight in. the second half.

Bay of Plenty 64 (Tony Wilson 3, Wayne Ranui 2, Chris Smith, Brent McKillop, Dean McKillop, Whilem Studer, Frank Shelford, Gary Braid tries; Ron Preston 7 conversions, 2 penalty goals).

Marlborough held the Seddon Shield in Blenheim, beating the challenger, West Coast, 29-16.

Although a convincing scoreline, the home side had to battle very hard for the win.

the six tries scored by Marlborough rather flattered them, with the match containing a lot of handling errors. Marlborough’s errors were not confined to the hands, with only two of nine goal attempts going over. West Coast opened the scoring in the first minute of the game when the left winger, Mark Cullen, went over for a try which Bob Bird converted.

Marlborough applied pressure but it was not until the twenty-second minute that its winger, Kevin Columbus, scored the side’s first try. West Coast regained the lead towards the end of the half with a penalty goal from Bird, and moved further ahead with a try in the last minute of the spell to

Lance Rae who beat his marker well. Bird’s conversion hit the post and West Coast went to the break 13-8 ahead.

Marlborough cut the lead to one point five minutes into the second half with a Don MacDonald try and took the lead seven minutes later with a Nigel Schultz penalty goal.

The home side then scored three more tries to Peter Marfell, MacDonald and Richard Loe to sew up the game. West Coast’s only secondhalf points came from a Stuart Wyness drop goal midway through the spell.

The pick of the Marlborough team would have been Jim Love. He really dominated the line-outs and faired well in the tight. Scorers:

Marlborough 29 (K. Columbus 2, J. MacDonald 2, R. Loe, P. Marfell tries; N. Schultz, conversion and penalty goal), West Coast 16 (M. Cullen, L. Rae tries, R. Bird conversion and penalty goal, S. Wyness drop goal).